


With you I could spend my life

by myguyrl



Category: Das Kapital - Fandom, Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei | The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels, communism - Fandom
Genre: Communism, Gay, M/M, Uhm, comradely lips, hot commie text, please no one read this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:01:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25860247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myguyrl/pseuds/myguyrl
Summary: "After spending a good part of the night at the bar, they both decide that it’s best to leave."
Relationships: Friedrich Engels/Karl Marx
Comments: 6
Kudos: 43
Collections: MarxEngels





	1. Reminiscence

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for the feedback!! A lot of you seem to want more of this. While I am quite busy with work currently, I will consider continuing the fic (this will depend mostly on my free time tho). 
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> Thanks for reading this!  
> The following is chapter one of three from a story I am working on. Some of the names (Excluding Marx and Engels ofc), the titles for the chapters and the title of the work itself might be changed down the road. I am posting this to see how people would react and based on that I will be updating it with chapters 2 (which is already written) and 3 (which is still being worked on).  
> Any suggestions are welcome!

After spending a good part of the night at the bar, they both decide that it’s best to leave. Not because they can’t drink more but because of how they’ll feel once they stop. While Karl can barely walk and is about to throw up on the road, Friedrich seems just fine. This is not the case though. Engels feels like collapsing after the dozen shots they had, but also wants to look sober. This is getting harder by the second as he feels his head start to throb with the alcohol wearing off. His wallet didn’t enjoy the drinks either. 

They decided that it’s best to walk home together because of the state they are in, and because it’s something usual for them to do anyway. One drinks too much and the other offers to bring them home. They do this to make sure nothing happens on the way, but this time it is almost necessary for them to walk together. What was supposed to be a normal night at the bar turned into hours and hours of drinking and playing chess. 

Forcing himself to look up, Marx raises his head to gather his thoughts. He looks over at Engels and sees the man, his hands in the pockets of his coat, bumping alongside him. Karl knows that in reality, Friedrich is just as wasted as him, maybe even more. He also knows that Engels doesn’t like showing his weak side, especially in public. 

“I can’t let him go home like this. He can barely keep himself from collapsing, probably,” Marx thinks to himself while observing drunk Friedrich. Karl always admired how normal Engels looks while drunk. Engels likes to think of himself as a quite self-aware drunk, but Marx doesn’t buy into that. He doesn’t believe that self-aware drunks are a thing. Karl based that observation on personal experience, which Friedrich thinks is total bullshit. 

“I wonder what he’s thinking of,” Engels asks himself while observing Karl looking at him in the corner of his eye. He always thought of Marx as a down to earth person, maybe sometimes too harsh on others. He got used to it after knowing Karl for so long, in fact, he quite enjoys seeing Marx get his anger out. Something about it gives him a good feeling. Somewhat of a fascination, one might say. 

With the drinks they had starting to wear off and Engels looking more down to earth than before, Karl decides to break the silence that’s been haunting their walk so far. He goes up to Engels and rests his arm on his shoulder. Engels doesn’t bat an eye, thinking Karl did it to help him walk. 

“Stay with me tonight,” Karl says, taking Engels off guard. “I don’t want you going home like this.” 

They stop walking. Friedrich looks at Marx, eyebrows raised, surprised but also delighted by the proposal. Engels wonders whether Karl is drunkenly running his words together as he sometimes does, as he isn’t the kind of guy to invite people over. It’s usually Jenny, Karl’s wife, who does that. 

“I can’t,” Friedrich responds in his usual friendly tone, although slurred from all the drinks. “I mean, I don’t want to bother you considering-” 

“You aren’t bothering anyone,” Marx says, cutting Engels off. “I’m all alone for now and could use some company. You know how much I hate being alone,” he continues, hoping this will convince Engels. 

“Isn’t she coming back soon?” Friedrich asks, referring to Jenny, who left to work in Manchester. 

“Doubt it,” Karl responds, mumbling his words towards the stone path they’re standing on. “She left half a year ago and I haven’t heard anything from her since. Not a single letter. You think she’s coming back after so long?” 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you bothered,” Engels says. “I thought you heard something from her after all this time.” 

“Don’t be sorry. I have to accept that she most probably left me,” Karl responds, now looking back at Engels. “That Willich guy went with her, you know? I think they might have had something going on. After all, he is the one who convinced her to take that job.” 

“Don’t think so considering he also has a family,” Friedrich says. “Do you think he would leave them behind like that?” 

“He already left, so yes. Besides, why do you think he hates me with such a passion?” Marx replies. “He always had a thing for Jenny.” 

“Look, I doubt that he and Jenny had anything going on,” Engels says. “Besides, I don’t see her as the type of woman to leave her husband behind. But if she truly doesn’t come back this time, you can always count on me being here. Understood?” he asks while rubbing Karl’s back, trying to console him. 

“Understood,” Karl says shortly as the two men begin walking again. It’s comforting for Marx to know that Engels will always be there for him, even when his wife isn’t. It makes him push the fear down a little.


	2. Arguments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Their way to Marx’s home is now illuminated by the lanterns shining above their heads as they walk together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 out now! I hope you enjoy it as much as the first one.

Their way to Marx’s home is now illuminated by the lanterns shining above their heads as they walk together. Slowly arriving at their destination, Karl hesitates to let Engels go. The guilt of letting his closest friend walk home wasted on a cold night still doesn’t stand right with him. Making up his mind, he suddenly turns to Engels, grabs him by his shoulders, and pulls him close. Face to face and closer to Marx than ever before, Engels shivers a little although he enjoys his touch. He feels the warmth of Karl’s hands sober him up, although just slightly.  
“Stay with me,” Karl says once again, his speech not as slurred as earlier, hoping Engels made up his mind about the offer.  
With a face flushed from the drinks they had, Friedrich takes a long look at Marx. He knows that Karl doesn’t just randomly invite people over. It has to have a reason, but what is it this time?  
Not being able to find an answer but having to answer, Engels lets out a short response:  
“There might be a chance it’s too late to walk drunkenly alone,” he says, which Marx happily takes as an agreement to his proposal.  
Letting Engels go, Karl opens the door. He lets Engels go in first, with him following closely behind. Friedrich has been here hundreds of times before, but something about the quiet house at this hour makes it feel different.  
“Let me take this,” Marx says, gesturing Engels to take his coat off. Friedrich seems surprised by Karl’s manner as he only does such things with his wife. He brushes it off in the end, blaming it on the drinks they had, although Marx is fully aware of what he is doing.  
“You take the bed. I can bare the couch tonight. I’ve slept on it a few times before. It’s not that bad,” Marx says, hanging Engels’ coat on a hanger.  
“What are you saying?” Friedrich responds while looking at Karl, who’s also taking his coat off, “I’m the guest, so I shall take the couch. You can keep the bed.”  
“No way in hell,” Marx responds harshly, although keeping his tone down because of how late it is. “You take the bed, I take the couch.”  
Knowing Karl, Engels is aware that there is little to no room for negotiating, but he tries nonetheless.  
“Well, I am going to sleep on the bed but with one condition. You sleep with me,” Engels says, swallowing down his nerves and his words. He‘s not quite sure where they came from.  
Surprised while at the same time enticed by the counteroffer, Marx takes a moment to think of an adequate response.  
“Alright,” he replies self-righteously, taking Engels off guard for a third time this night.  
Seeing no way out of the situation he created, Friedrich accepts his faith and nods in agreement. Marx laughs and pats him on the back, taking the debate as a victory.  
“Come, we got to find clothes for you to sleep in,” he says, starting to walk towards the bedroom.  
“I can sleep in what I’m wearing. You don’t need to look for anything,” Engels replies, following Karl closely behind his back.  
Entering the room, Friedrich suddenly realizes how real the situation he created is.  
“I’m not letting you sleep in those,” Karl says, heading towards the wardrobe sitting in the corner of the room, “I have a spare set that might just fit you.”  
With no way of negotiating, and with Marx starting to rummage in the tiny wardrobe, Engels takes this opportunity to test out the bed he and Karl are going to share for the night. Slowly approaching it, Friedrich becomes a little anxious as he notices how small it is. First sitting down, then slowly beginning to lay down, Engels makes sure he doesn’t crease his clothes. Once laid down, his anxiety starts to creep out again, this time caused by him imagining Marx taking up the spot next to him. This is a rare moment, as he is barely anxious.  
“Take these,” Marx says, taking his head out of the wardrobe and handing Friedrich a small stack of clothes, “They might be a little big for you but should be comfortable enough for a night.”  
Standing up from the bed and taking the clothes from Karl’s hand, Engels isn’t sure what’s about to happen next. He also isn’t sure where he should change, but his worries get swept aside by the feeling of his stomach flipping over as he notices Marx changing right in front of him. In the absence of any other option he sees available to him, Friedrich also begins changing his clothes. Although trying to avoid looking at Marx, he sometimes raises his head, which unfortunately almost always results in awkward eye contact with Karl.  
Marx isn’t any more comfortable doing this but knows how to hide his emotions well, or so he thinks.


End file.
